On the Hunt---A One Shot Story
by angie9281
Summary: Another holiday has come around and amongst the chaos and madness that her life so often brings, Sookie is able to have a little Easter fun with her family while her bemused and reluctant Viking finds himself oddly bemused by what comes along with said holiday


_**Author's Note-I meant to post this story earlier but we had a power outage and I was busy with work….sorry it's a little late. I have a full episode in the works I am almost done with so don't think I have gone away ;) please review and thanks again for reading!**_

"Easter eggs….and they aren't even real eggs….I don't understand this one bit…plastic and chocolate? No yolks or real shells?" he rand a hand through the Easter basket Sookie had put tighter for her little niece Harper, the plastic green ester grass bemusing him, to her amusement.

"You've been around a long time and you've never seen plastic eggs? Easter grass?'

"It never warranted my attention." the Viking said as he sniffed at the chocolate bunny, making a face. "I have heard this stuff is delicious but sadly, ever since I was turned, the smell of normal food is rather unappealing to me."

"you're missing out. " She replied

"Not really….my favorite treat is you." he made to steal a little nip but it was then the doorbell rang and she pushed him away playfully, double checking that the basket overflowing with toys and candy for her 6 year old niece was impeccably in place. "Thank you for helping with this….its kind of sweet that you pitched in. If she wasn't stuck at the bar tonight, I think Pam would have enjoyed seeing you play the Easter bunny."

"I just wish you'd have let me hide the eggs in other places, more of a challenge for her."

She was about to answer the door as she rolled her eyes. "Hiding eggs on top of the house wouldn't be my first choice for hiding spots. She is six."

"And the daughter of a were panther and your brother even said she is showing signs of having inherited his….talents. Not that it is as good as being like me….but still…." he was stopped mid sentence, taken aback as she deftly returned to where he stood in the doorway of the living room, slapping a pair of bunny ears on his blonde head. "For your niece." she reminded him as he went to toss them aside with a stunned look on his face.

"The things I do for that child." he sighed, putting the ears back on straight. "If my patrons at the club could see me now…"

"We are a supremely talented family. Who do things for those we love. Even if they may be….out of our comfort zone," she replied simply and opening the door, she soon found her niece racing into her, dirty blonde hair pulled back with a pair of pink bunny ears, her cute Easter dress in pale pinks and purple matching her little rubber crocs on her feet. "Hey kiddo."

"Hiya aunt Sookie…..Harper said, looking past her aunt to her unorthodox uncle. "Nice ears." she giggled and with Jason, Sookie and Bridgette taking in the strange sight of the leather clad vampire with the bunny ears on, they all shared a laugh as he deftly scooped up the little girl with a arm and grinned, wriggling his nose like a bunny.

"I hope you brought a big basket, your aunt put me to work hiding a little something for you and then there is this too." he handed Harper the premade basket of goodies for her. Sookie figured it was ok to spoil the kid, being her only niece and she knew her brother would be fine with it

"You really shouldn't; have gone through so much trouble…this is…..so sweet." Bridgette said kindly as she took in her daughters face, aglow with wonder as she tore into the basket of goodies. "Thanks again for having us, we were going to go to the egg hunt at the school but she said she wanted to see her aunt and uncle." Bridgette was still struggling with dealing living in a town that was so supernaturally charged and the fact that so much of her family had a streak or more of that within them. Still, she loved her extended family very much and was touched by the fact that her family had put this together for Harper.

"Lets get the show on the road, then. Get your basket and we will head out." Sookie said, leading the group outside and in the darkness, there could be seen the very subtle glow of the eggs. "I found some neat plastic eggs at RiteAid….they glow in the dark and there are some you can't see even with them glowing. A certain someone wanted to take this hunt to new heights but I made him stay closer to the ground." Sookie gave a crooked grin to the Viking, who shrugged.

"I figured she was a part of this family and she could handle climbing up the side of the house…..from what I hear she is a good climber. And fast."

"Takes after me." Jason said proudly and they all watched the little girl run from them, taking her basket from her mother who had brought it from the car. And in no time she had found all the eggs and as the others went to find where she had run off too in the sprawling backyard, they heard laughing from over their heads and she had just noticed that Eric hadn't been there with them. Instead, she, Jason and Bridgette saw within the willow tree there were glowing eggs all tucked into the branch and a little monkey named Harper was moving swiftly and deftly upwards through the boughs, tossing eggs down to a lower branch where Eric held the basket, catching them as fast as the little one could find them. Bridgette looked panicked at seeing her daughter in the tree even though she knew that no one here would ever let any harm befall Harper. Still, Sookie took note of her worried expression and put her hands on her hips, looking up at where he now had Harper in his lap, both looking pleased with themselves.

"Bring her down right now or I'm gonna text Pam a pic of you with those ears on." Sookie threatened, though she was half smirking. And with the girl on his back securely, the Viking leapt down from the branches of the tree and landed safely and lightly on the ground, the girl laughing even after being set gently on the ground. Ten minutes later, she was surrounded by all her Easter loot in the living room, the adults seated on the two couches with drinks. As Harper bit off the ears of a small chocolate bunny, the others took in the simple sight of the happy girl before them. And knowing that this wasn't his particular brand of fun, Sookie couldn't help notice, as he reluctantly sipped a bottle of New Blood, that Eric had failed to remove the pair of rabbit ears from his head.

"Another holiday down and maybe you aren't the party pooper I thought you once were. See? You can have fun without a bloodbath or a heart being torn out of someone."

Jason and Bridgette laughed. "Yeah, see? Though I admit I get off on hunting some deer and shooting the occasional rabb-" he was stopped by a elbow to the gut by his wife who gave him a look. "I mean…..you know what I mean." luckily the child was too busy playing with her new toys and eating candy to hear what her dad had nearly said.

"Smooth as always, Jason." smirked his brother in law and all shared a laugh. "Perhaps holidays aren't as inane as I used to think they were. Having a family…..it changes one's perspective." he said in a more serious tone, looking at the little girl playing at his feet. "Perhaps it's a slice of life I never got to have before…." the others were watching him with sympathy on their faces and true to form, he turned gruff again, taking the ears off finally and excusing himself from the room for a few moments. And when he returned, his face was neutral but all present in the room that though he tried to keep his tough guy image going, even with them, there was no fooling anyone. That he had, in fact, enjoyed the hunt as much as his niece had, unbeknownst to him, Sookie had secretly snapped a photo of him with the little one, both wearing the ears. She wasn't planning to send it to anyone but rather have a reminder that as bloodthirsty and violent as he could be, that this other side to him was never truly gone. Besides, she thought to herself, if he ever really pissed her off, she may be able to blackmail him into something. Just what that may be, she wasn't sure but it would be something fun. Another Disney trip, perhaps? Or somewhere else she knew made him adorkably uncomfortable.

 **THE END**


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